


By every definition, Peter Parker was soft

by TakenByEmrys



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: A punch gets thrown, Adorable Peter Parker, BAMF Peter Parker, Flash Thompson Being A Jerk, Genius Peter Parker, Harley Keener is a Good Bro, M/M, Peter Parker wears a flower crown, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Harley Keener, Soft Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Harley Keener's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23420851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TakenByEmrys/pseuds/TakenByEmrys
Summary: Peter Parker wears pastel sweaters and flower crowns. Bad boy Harley Keener is new to Midtown and rumors are already circulating.
Relationships: Harley Keener/Peter Parker
Comments: 80
Kudos: 1745
Collections: Absolute Faves, Grays fave Irondad fics





	1. Chapter 1

By every definition, Peter Parker was soft. He was no doubt going to be the valedictorian when they graduated because he carried his weight in advanced texts. His soft brown hair was always just a little curly, and his bright brown eyes were the definition of warm chocolate. He wore nothing but soft sweaters in a variety of pastels, usually matched with a colorful flower crown. He was soft. He was sweet.

Harley Keener was a southern boy with a chip the size of Tennessee on his shoulder. His leather jacket was the living embodiment of his personality. If you asked someone who the scariest kid in the school was, they’d say it was Harley Keener. He was also the kid people thought was the school's drug dealer. Which was ironic because not only had he never touched the stuff, but no one at the school had ever asked for any.

His first day at Midtown was a shock to almost the entire student body. He didn’t give off the stem school vibe. Until his first class where he built a completely functioning robot with spare parts he found around. It didn’t bode well that he was in a biology class, but no one said anything. He usually disappeared during lunches and was always loitering in the alley behind the school.

Two weeks after he arrived, when he was paired up with Peter Parker halfway through class, in order to ‘help Harley with the material’ the entire class sighed. 

Peter Parker was the definition of soft. And he already had enough bullies. There was no reason for Mr.Dill to have added Harley Keener to that list. What they didn’t expect was the interaction between the two boys.

“Well, Mr.Parker, I'm ready to be educated.” Harley smirked. Peter had been moved to sit next to Harley.

“Well, seeing that I know for a fact that you read about this last week, I'm going to go back to my studies.” Peter opened his textbook and continued reading his advanced material. 

“But, darlin’ how am I supposed to understand the big town biology when I myself am from teeny tiny Rose Hill?” Harley asked. Peter rolled his eyes.

“The same way you understood the paper I gave you on thermonuclear nanotechnology.” Peter kept his eyes trained on his book. Harley chuckled.

“Fine, be that way. I’ll just start throwing paper airplanes at Ned.” This was the turning point. Every time they picked on Ned, and then Peter would step in. This was how he gained Flash and his motley crew. Harley and Peter were just too opposite for the inevitability of bullying. The class gaped when Peter just rolled his eyes.

“Don’t cry to me if you accidentally hit MJ instead.” As if it was rehearsed, MJ turned and bared her teeth at Harley. The boy huffed, but stopped making his paper airplane. Peter pushed the worksheet back over to him and tapped it lightly. Harley sighed but swiped one of Peter’s bright orange pens and sped through the material. 

When Mr.Dell made his rounds again, he was surprised to find Harley and Peter bent over his physics textbook. Not only that, but they were having an avid discussion. Mr.Dell listened for a minute before starting to move away. However, he noticed Harley’s worksheet and stopped.

“Mr.Parker. I asked you to help Mr.Keener, not do his work for him.” Mr. Dell said exasperatedly. Harley raised an eyebrow.

“Harley doesn’t need help. He just doesn’t like to listen to directions. Or bring a pen.” Peter said. He kept his eyes carefully trained on his textbook. Mr.Dell opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when Harley started chewing the end of a bright orange pen. He turned away and walked back to his desk without a word.

Three classes later, and it was lunch. Harley’s eyes scanned the cafeteria, looking for the familiar flower crown. He hadn’t had a class with Peter since their homeroom, and usually they'd both disappear until their next class, but MJ had ranted about it yesterday.

He had, however, finally met the ever famous ‘Flash’ in his second period. The boy had been on a vacation that he apparently live streamed the entire time. 

His eyes stopped at a table in the corner. It was his lucky day, he had found Peter, and Flash was with him too. He sauntered over to the table. Peter and Ned were there alone. He spotted MJ standing in line, glaring a whole in Flash’s head. It seems like no one had missed him Peter’s eyes were hard and cold, not liking what Flash had said.

“Is there a problem?” Harley asked. Flash turned to him sharply, but his face relaxed into a grin.

“Oh, hey. This is my new friend Harley.” Flash sneered at Peter. Peter raised an amused eyebrow, but he didn’t say anything. “Harley here is going to help me kick the crap out of you two losers.” Harley snorted.

“Harley is not.” He said. Flash’s eyes bugged. “Harley, is in fact going to park it right here. I might love a good brawl. But even I wouldn’t punch someone in a flower crown.” Harley practically collapsed in the chair next to Peter. “Bad juju, dude.” Peter stared at Harley, keeping his lips pressed together tightly. Harley grinned widely. Peter just rolled his eyes and turned back to his textbook. Flash’s mouth opened and closed several times. 

“Flash, you might want to close your mouth. You might swallow a bug.” Harley leaned back and scooched away so he could place his legs on the table. Flash’s mouth snapped shut. Harley wiggled his fingers, in a clear dismissal. Flash turned and awkwardly slunk away.

“How are you liking the cafeteria so far? I didn't think you knew where it was.” Ned asked. He was sitting across from Peter with a grin on his face.

“Well, there are some things that are so much better than Rose Hill. Then, there is that one thing that's not.” Harley shrugged. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a slight uptick in Peter’s lips. “Then there’s the fact that Peter will not pull his nose out of that book.” Ned snickered as Peter raised his head in a judgmental glare. Harley grinned. A tray slammed down across from Harley. Peter jumped out of his seat in surprise. His book hit the ground with a bang.

“Hello to you too, MJ.” Harley snarked. She leveled a glare at him and sat across from him. He reached down and snagged Peter’s book. “You know you can’t scare sunshine like that, but I will applaud your method of getting his nose out of his book.” Peter reached for the book, but Harley lifted it above his head and leaned away. The cafeteria watched, waiting for MJ to snap at Harley. They gaped when she smiled.

“Well with you around Keener, we barely see him anyway. We can’t have him reading during the one lunch we get with him.” She reached out and grabbed the book from Harley.

“You guys are so mean.” Peter pouted. Harley snickered.

“Or you’re just easy to mess with.” Ned elbowed MJ. She swatted at him.

“At least Ned is there for me.” Peter sniffled. Harley reached up and fixed Peter’s crown. Peter pouted as his hair shifted. “Fine, fine. What do you want to talk about MJ?”

“Well. It’s just after noon, and I'm losing the bet.” MJ sighed. Ned grinned. He was winning the bet. Peter rolled his eyes.

“Oh come on MJ. It’s a stupid bet.” Peter said.

"You only say that because you don't want southern Belle over here to get suspended." She said. Peter crossed his arms.

"What bet?" Harley asked. Peter pursed his lips and stared at Ned. 

"It's how soon you're gonna deck Flash." Ned answered. Harley grinned.

"Well based on second period, I give in another two hours. He sure was spouting off. Though, I might wait for Nat to show up." Peter whipped around.

"You called Nat!?" He yelled. Their classmates shot them sideways glances. He'd never even raised his voice before, let alone yelled.

"Purely by accident, Sunshine. I just happened to put my hand in my pocket and call her." Harley smirked. Peter sighed.

"She can't kill a teenager Harley." He scolded.

"I never said anything about killing. Maybe maiming." MJ and Ned snickered.

After lunch, Harley decided not to skip class. He and Peter had gotten a little carried away in the bathroom, and now they were probably going to be late. The halls were clearing pretty fast. 

He followed Peter to chemistry with a little pep in his step. He’d had no problem skipping this class when Flash was on vacation, but now that he was back, Harley wouldn’t let that asshole breath wrong in Peter’s direction. The only reason he hadn’t hit him in the cafeteria was because he knew he’d have to have a reason when Tony was called. And the minute Harley said the words bullying and Peter, all bets were off. Tony would hit the kid himself.

Peter stopped suddenly. His head was tilted to the side in concentration.

“Y’all okay, Sunshine?” Harley asked. Peter nodded.

“I’m listening to what our class is telling Flash about you.” He smiled. “MJ just keeps snorting.”

“And?” Harley asked.

“Seymour swears you tried to sell him weed in the alley.” Harley grinned. “Sally swears she saw you around town on a motorcycle.” Peter giggled. “And there was a pretty girl on the back.” Harley rolled his eyes. “I wonder if that’s the day I wore that crop top.” Harley watched the boy with a smile. Peter’s face suddenly flushed tomato red.

“Sweetheart?”

“Abe is currently swearing that he saw you press me up against the alley and watched us make out.” Harley grinned maniacally. He grabbed Peter’s wrist and drug him forward. 

“Keep going.”

“Apparently no one is believing it. MJ sounds like she’s crying. Flash said…” Peter trailed off. Harley squeezed his wrist in reassurance. “Flash said no one like me could ever get a guy like you.” Harley’s smile was wide and ready. He had been waiting for this. He dropped Peter’s wrist and flung the door open. 

“Afternoon y’all.” Harley greeted cheerfully. The maniacal glint in his eyes kind of offset his tone. The entire room shifted, sensing danger. Peter slipped in behind him, hoping to go unnoticed.

“So, Harley, huh?” Flash crossed his arms and sneered.

“That is what they call me.” Harley mirrored Flash’s stance. “So what were you guys talking about?” They all exchanged glances. Some looked to where Peter had sat next to MJ, who was pretending to be engrossed in her book.

“Well you, actually.” Sally said. “It’s been several weeks and no one knows much of anything about you.” Harley nodded.

“Yep.” He moved to take his seat behind Peter. It used to be Flash’s seat, but well, Harley wasn’t going to let that happen. “You seem to have a pretty good idea though, based on the rumors you discussed.” He smirked at their pale faces.

` “There is no way you two are making out.” Flash said. “Penis is like the epitome of a loser. There is no way you two are shacking up.” Harley and Peter both froze. “See, look at them. They freeze in the face of their lies!”

“They froze because Ned’s about to owe me $50 and 1 free hack.” MJ corrected. She looked up with a smirk on her face. Flash scoffed and looked from her back to Harley, but he wasn’t in his seat. He was less than an inch from Flash.

“What did you just say.” He growled. Flash stuck out his chin. 

“I said that Penis is a loser who is a dirty little liar. Like he actually has an internship at SI. And if he did, there’s no way he got it because he’s smart. He got it for doing other things, obviously. You’re obviously smart and pretty hot. There is no way you would be into him.” Flash said confidently. 

“I really appreciate you speaking so clearly. It really helps my alibi.” Harley swung hard and fast, catching Flash in the nose. It cracked, reverberating off the walls. Flash cried out, but didn’t back down. He tackled Harley, narrowly missing a desk. Mr. Harrington jumped up and ran for the fight, but there was too much chaos. He couldn’t pull them apart. Peter watched them brawling on the floor with a sigh. He pulled out his phone. 

**_IronDad_ **

_ You better start heading for the school. Harley got into a fight. _

He stuck his phone back in his pocket and stood up. His classmates watched as he dodged the flying fists with ease. He reached into the mess of limbs and pulled. He pulled Harley off Flash enough for him to grab Flash by the collar. He yanked and soon they were separated, both being held by the scruff. Mr. Harrington rushed forward, carrying on about the principle. He grabbed Flash from Peter’s grip and started toward the door.

Harley grinned at Peter, who just shook his head. Harley had blood pouring freely from his nose, staining his teeth. Peter began pulling Harley out of the room, following Mr. Harrington to the office. Harley’s head swiveled back to the class.

“And for the record, you were wrong. I would never push Peter against an alley wall.It would ruin his sweater. He obviously pushes me against walls.” Peter’s head dropped into his hand with a groan.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony made it to the school in record time. Peter had never responded to his text, and he was more than worried. He knew that Flash kid was getting back today. He didn’t know the full extent of everything, because apparently he can’t just install personal cameras in a high school. 

When he landed the suit, he barely had time to put it in sentry mode before he was sprinting into the school. He found the office rather quickly.

“Hi, what can I do for you?” The receptionist asked brightly. She looked up from her computer and her eyes bugged.

“My kid was in a fight. Harley Keener.” Tony said. A dark look crossed her face.

“Right, Mr. Keener and Mr. _Thompson_.” She said. Tony raised an eyebrow. Apparently everyone hated this kid. “Harley is currently being cleaned up in the nurse’s office, just through there. Another boy came in with him. Peter Parker.” Her tone brightened considerably when she mentioned Peter.

“Good, good. After I meet with the principal, I’m taking them both out for the rest of the day. Can you arrange that?”

“I’m sorry, but only a parent or a guardian can sign kids out.” She said slowly.

“Yeah. I’m in the system. I’m Peter’s second guardian. Through here?” He didn’t wait to respond before racing to the nurse's room. Harley was splayed out, looking as relaxed as could be. There was still some dried blood on his face, but a very concerned Peter was helping wipe it away.

“Please for the love of god, tell me it was worth it.” Tony said. Harley grinned at him. He pulled out his phone and tossed it to Tony.

“Oh it was.” Tony hit the play button.

_“I said that Penis is a loser who is a dirty little liar. Like he actually has an internship at SI. And if he did, there’s no way he got it because he’s smart. He got it for doing other things, obviously. You’re obviously smart and pretty hot. There is no way you would be into him.”_

Tony pressed the pause button. He stared at his boys before turning on his heels and walking out of the room.

“It's illegal to kill a minor!” Peter called after him.

“Oh he won’t kill him.” Peter stared at him skeptically. “He’ll threaten to send assassins after him. There’s a huge difference.” Peter dropped his head on Harley’s stomach and groaned.

“You owe me a new sweater.” Harley chuckled and relaxed. He let his fingers slide between Peter’s hair and his flower crown. 

“Ok. How about purple?”


End file.
